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In the humid summers I seek relief in chilled fruit saké that are tart and mouthwatering. Here are two worth seeking out, lemon and natsumikan (imagine an orange pomelo). My favorite producer for these kajitsushu is Tsuru Ume from Wakayama. Their aromatic yuzushu is also one of the best made in Japan, in my opinion. On the rocks, or served straight, this is an excellent start to any meal, or a refreshing break in the afternoon.

Tsuru Ume also makes outstanding umeshu, which is no surprise as the apricots from Wakayama are a regional specialty.

I love the selection of kajitsushu at Shinbashi’s Oboro Saketen. Okuma-san, the owner, went to college in Minnesota and speaks English. Tell him Yukari sent you.

We love visiting local supermarkets when we travel. Tsuruya is a chain of supermarkets in Nagano that has been on our Go List since it was featured on a television program. It has a strong private brand (PB) program that is very popular with their customers. These items on this blogpost are all PB products from Tsuruya.

First of all, we picked up some oyaki. These are flour-based dumplings that are stuffed with different fillings. We picked up sansai (mountain vegetables), piri kara nasu (spicy eggplant), and Nozawa-na (pickled Nozawa greens). The expiration date for oyaki is often a day or two so we picked up enough for dinner on the day we came back to Tokyo. These do actually freeze well. To cook them up we just put them in a hot non-stick pan and grill on both sides.

Tsuruya jam and juice

Nagano is a big producer of apples and we picked up a refreshing apple juice. There was a big selection of jams, including kyoho, an aromatic Japanese grape and a lovely black sesame paste that has a little sugar in it (not in the photo).

Tsuruya private brand products

There were some dried fruit, including lemon and apples. We also loved the karinto, traditional Japanese sweets that came in flavors like apple and gobo (burdock root). The karinto were well received by friends as a small gift from our travels. I only wish I had bought more.

Tsuruya Maruyama Coffee

I was so happy to find Maruyama Coffee Tsuruya Original Medium Roast Blend. Maruyama Coffee is a popular coffee shop that is based in the resort town of Karuizawa in Nagano. It is a well-balanced up with a refreshing acidity and round flavors.

Tsuruya has shops in some of the bigger cities in Nagano. The one we visited was in Matsumoto. The Tsuruya website says that it is opening a shop near Iiyama station which is on the new Hokuriku shinkansen line. Very exciting news. Worth a detour on your way to Kanazawa.

Pickles play an essential role on the Japanese Table. It is served at many meals. At a kaiseki meal it is included in the rice course with miso soup. Casual curry shops serve fukujin-zuke, a soy-based relish made with daikon, eggplant, and cucumbers. If you really love Japanese pickles, then be sure to have a meal at Kintame. There are two restaurants in Tokyo, my favorite is in Monzennakacho, but the branch at Tokyo Station’s Daimaru department store is centrally located.

We try to include pickles when we can. It’s an easy way to get an extra vegetable dish on the table and fermented foods are good for you.

In the photo above are three pickles from Nakagawaya at Tsukiji Market. On the left is the pickle that I am currently crazy for. Thin slices of ginger and garlic pickled in soy sauce. It has a kick and is great with white rice, fried rice, or simply over tofu. In the middle is an aromatic yuzu and soft kabu turnips. On the right is pickled zassai (Brassica juncea), a Sichuan vegetable called zha cai, which has a nice texture and unique flavor profile that is not usually found in Japanese cuisine.

Japanese Pickles at Tsukiji Market Nakagawaya

There are many shops at Tsukiji Market selling pickles, but none have the selection and variety that Nakagawaya has. The shop is located in the outer market and is easy to find. Some of the pickles are vacuum-packed so it is easy to pack in your luggage to bring home. The staff here are very friendly and the selection is changing throughout the year. There are many regional pickles brought in from all over Japan like iburigakko, the smoked daikon pickle from Akita.

Bamboo Shoots and Nanohana Pickles

This spring we had bamboo shoots and nanohana (field mustard). The bamboo shoots were very tender and pickled in a light-colored soy sauce. The nanohana had a bit of a spicy bite to it.

Kabocha, Ginger and Garlic, and Zassai Pickles

We have tried making kabocha squash pickles at home to no success. The kabocha here has a soft crunch to it and adds a beautiful color to any table.

Eggplant and Kabocha Pickles

Eggplants are in season now and these are harvested young, perfect for pickling. The kabocha pickles are sold like this.

Nukazuke Rice Bran Pickles

Nukazuke (rice bran pickles) are something we make at home. Here you can see in the box cucumbers, carrots, and turnips. The rice bran is washed off before cutting and serving the pickles.

A very unique pickle that is fun to try are these made from nagaimo and yamaimo potatoes. The pickles have a very crunchy texture but once you start chewing they become very slimy. These come in flavors of shiso, wasabi, and tamari soy sauce. In the bottom pickle can you see that kombu (kelp) is wrapped around the pickles and tied with kampyō (gourd)?

Wasabi-zuke, Sake Kasu, and Kōji

Wasabi-zuke is a pickle made from wasabi and saké lees, on the bottom, the two pickles one the left (975 JPY and 760 JPY). Next to that is saké kasu (saké lees) and kōji. Both of these are great fun to cook with at home. We use the saké lees for marinating fish before grilling. The kōji is a very popular cooking ingredient for making shio kōji and soy sauce kōji that can be used as a pickling agent, marinade for proteins, and as a seasoning for stir-fries, salad dressings, and soup.

Tokyo Sky Tree is the city’s most popular tourist destination. The world’s tallest tower (for the time being) the communication tower replaces the landmark Tokyo Tower.

Solamachi, at the base of Tokyo Sky Tree, is very exciting mall to visit with so many shops it’s hard to come up with a short list. It has over 300 shops including Eataly, as well as Niki no Kashi and a dagashiya for old-time Japanese sweets. If you do visit, here are my gotta go shops:

1. Lupicia for its amazing teas. I first came to know Lupicia from chef Seiji Yamamoto at Nihonryori Ryugin. The restaurant served a cherry flavored green tea (sakurambo vert) that was delicious and I have been a fan ever since. 1F-EastYard-44

2. A store that specializes in salt, Ma-suya, from Okinawa. Over 70 salts from Okinawa and 300 salts from throughout Japan. A salt sommelier can advise which salts are best suited to certain dishes. 4F-EastYard-34

7. The original branch of Mamegen is in Azabu-Juban. If you go, be sure to pick up a bag of the “shio kaki” salted and deep-fried rice crackers. And be sure to check out the wide variety of flavored beans and rice crackers. 4F-EastYard-32

photo is from Solamachi website

8. Who can resist the great packaging at Mameya Bankyu? Inside find roasted beans in flavors like cheese pepper, wasabi, or curry. 4F-EastYard-44

9. The original shop of Nihonbashi Nishiki Hourin in the basement of Tokyo Station almost always has a long line. Known for its karintou, a sweet cracker that comes in great flavors like kinpira gobo, sumi charcoal, and black pepper. 2F-TowerYard-33

Great news for tourists visiting the Tokyo’s hottest destination, Tokyo Sky Tree. You don’t have to go to Kappabashi to get your plastic food samples. Ganso Shokuhin Sanpuruya has a branch in the new Solamachi shopping mall. The original store is in Kappabashi and is very popular.

Here you’ll find the great plastic food samples that are usually found in front of restaurants. As well as many miniature versions for refrigerator magnets or keychains. And, for the very creative, you can pick up your own kit to make your own bowl of plastic food like spaghetti or ramen at home.

I have a few sushi magnets and love them. Great gifts for your foodie friends.

Antenna shops showcase food and other products from a certain area, usually a prefecture in Japan. I love to shop at antenna shops for hard-t0-find shochu, sake, regional seafood, and other items like miso. It is a good place to pick up omiyage for friends, or things for yourself.

Recently in Ginza, across the street from the Sony building, a shop featuring the food of Kesenuma, in Miyagi prefecture. A restaurant on the second floor is scheduled to open from November 3rd. Tuna and sanma are two seafood that Kesenuma is known for so look for these, and much more, at the restaurant. Kesenuma is a big seafood port that was hit by the tsunami. The space for the shop was offered to the city of Kesenuma rent-free and the shop is expected to remain open until August 2012.

The Asahi newspaper reports that other cities that have been affected, like Hachinohe, Kamaishi, Ishinomaki, and Iwaki, may also be participating in the antenna shop.

So where do Tokyoites do their grocery shopping? There are large supermarkets, like Ito Yokado, Daiei, orSeiyu (a subsidiary of Walmart) but these require a lot of space so are usually found a bit out of the city. There is an Ito Yokado a few stops from Tokyo station on the Tozai line at Kiba, definitely worth visiting if you are curious about a large Japanese supermarket. In the city there are smaller supermarket chains like Akafudado, InageyaorQueens Isetan. As well, there are discount supermarkets, my particular favorite is called OK. It is like a regular supermarket, just cheaper. These three types of supermarkets are good for one-stop shopping. I go to these shops when I am limited on time.

I round out my shopping at 100 (or 99) yen shops like Daiso or Lawson 100. Here I pick up sundries like dried shiso (yukari) and kitchen or tableware. These shops are everywhere (we live on top of one) so I usually end up going in at least once a day for one thing or another. Something to drink, an onigiri between meals, or some chips, these shops have a wide variety of products.

If time permits, I prefer shopping at shotengai, or shopping arcades. Small specialty shops for items like tofu, rice, seafood, produce, or tea. Here you’ll find freshly made tofu or you can have the fishmonger help you select seasonal seafood and have him filet it for you. I wrote a piece on shotengai for Metropolis magazine.

When I lived in Monzennakacho, very close to the city center I did most of my shopping at Ito Yokado and Akafudado. Not only a supermarket Ito Yokado sells almost anything else you would need for your home, similar to a Super Target in the USA. Akafudado is a smaller supermarket, but the shop in Monzennakacho also sold other items for home, etc. on the upper floors.

On Saturday mornings I would take my scooter a few minutes to Tsukiji Market and shop in the outer market. Tsukiji is ideal if looking for good quality kombu, katsuobushi, pickles, tea, and much more. If I am hosting a dinner party, Yamaya is good for getting wine and Hanamasa is great for discounted meat and vegetables.

Our home near Kokubunji, in the Western suburbs of Tokyo, is close to a great discount supermarket called OK. Most of our shopping is done here because it is minutes from our home and the prices just can’t be beat. Shinji buys a lot of our seafood at Uoriki as he used to be a buyer for them.

I also love to shop at depachika, especially for prepared foods. I don’t like to fry at home so if I wanted to have some tempura with soba noodles I would pick up the tempura at depachika. Top quality seafood, meat, and produce are also available at depachika. While it can be expensive, some items will go on sale later in the day so if time permits, I like to poke my head into depachika before dinner. My favorite depachika are Isetan and Takashimaya.

There are many small chain supermarkets that vary from neighborhood to neighborhood. Names to look out for include Peacock, Tobu, or Tokyu. There are too many to list. Here is a list of supermarkets in Tokyo.

When I get a craving for Western products I usually go to Nissin (pronounced nishin) or Meidi-ya (pronounced meijiya).

If you are visiting Tokyo and would like to visit a large supermarket I suggest Ito Yokado near Kiba station on the Tozai line. Koto-ku, Kiba 1-5-30.

Here is Steve Trautlein’s article on International Supermarkets in Tokyo.

If you are living in Tokyo and would like a supermarket tour, please contact us. Supermarket tours are usually held in your local supermarket. It helps you to demystify main ingredients for cooking at home. Our contact information is here.

Nihonbashi has a rich food history as it was the original home of the fish market before it moved to Tsukiji. The new COREDO Muromachi building is filled with restaurants and food shops, some dating back hundreds of years.

Kiya

Pick up Japanese knives at Nihonbashi Kiya or taste the smoky bonito stock or dashi based soups like kabocha and chicken potage at Ninben’s Nihonbashi Dashi Bar.

Ninben's Dashi Bar

Fresh fish is grilled over a sumi charcoal pit at the casual izakaya Nihonbashi Kinoshige.

Paris Brest-Aimee

And perhaps one of the most talked about food item at COREDO Muromachi is the traditional Paris Brest-Aimee at Patisserie Aimee Vibert.

COREDO Muromachi

Chuo-ku, Nihonbashi Muromachi 2-2-1

Nihonbashi Kiya, 1st floor, 03-3242-0010

Ninben, 1st floor, 03-3241-0968

Nihonbashi Kinoshige, 2nd floor, 03-3548-9917

Patisserie Aimee Vibert, 1st floor, 03-6225-2551

www.coredo.jp (Japanese – can click through to English but very limited information)

The Okinawa Washita Shop in Ginza may be one of the most unique antenna shops in the city due to the unique food and beverage culture of Okinawa. The cuisine of the southernmost islands of Japan is very different from what you will find in the rest of the country. This tropical islands are rich with sea vegetables, pork and the local shochu called awamori. The basement is filled with awamori is a distilled beverage made from Thai rice and has a unique funk to it that makes it the perfect partner for the Okinawan cuisine. Okinawa is also famous for the longevity of the Okinawans, which many attribute to the diet and awamori. The smoked skin from a pig’s face is sliced for a snack food. Fresh produce including the bitter goya, tropical fruits and a citrus shikuwasa juice, great for cocktails, shimadoufu (a very dense, rich tofu), and Okinawan tea (sanpincha). I also was so happy to find a Japanese grater called “shiri shiri ki” that is ideal for grating carrots for salads or spring rolls. We had one in our home growing up and used it often. I also like it for grating potatoes for hash browns. I haven’t seen it at any other shop in Japan, just here.